Turia at Night and More
Staying at home all day just isn’t something that works here. No matter how lazy I feel or how much work on the blog I have to do during the day, at some point I just have to say “stop, listen, the city is calling you …” So I stop, gather myself, and head out. Being able to walk around the Old Town after sundown is something I was sorely missing both in Barcelona and down in the Marine district. Not only does it feel really safe (lots of people walking about), it’s also very pretty as many buildings are lit up to show off their evening looks.
This evening I decided to walk to Jardins del Turia to see if anything fun was going on, wondering if the football fields weren’t sitting idle. The weather was very pleasant, as well, so a nice stroll was perfect to stretch my legs. I was immediately surprised how many people were out and about, though, really, I’m not sure why I should have been. Isn’t this what living in Spain is all about? When the weather is nice, you head outside for a paseo. You really couldn’t call yourself a Spaniard if you didn’t do that, right? First, I walked down Carrer de Navellos where one of the many used bookstores is located, just off Plaza de la Virgen. Lured by the relative emptiness of the store, I had to stop in for a browse. It was fun seeing books that either already adorn my bookcases (when not in boxes) or just remind me of home. As I am not allowed to buy any more books at the moment, I had to leave empty-handed, again, but every time I do, my mental list of books I’d like to come back for grows just a bit.
One of the most prominent buildings on this street is yet another palace: Palau de Benicarló (Palace of the Borgias). When you think of the Borgias, you probably envision a powerful Spanish-Aragonese family who rose to power during the Italian Renaissance, including a very powerful pope, as portrayed in the TV series (now available on Netflix and on my to-watch list). I may have already mentioned all this when I wrote about the trip to Xativa, but here they are again, building palacios in the city of València as well. I wish it were possible to go inside and check things out, but, unlike many other government and private buildings, this one is hardly ever open for tours and only hosts governmental functions. It is also the seat of the les Corts Valencianes, commonly known as Les Corts, which are the main legislative body of the Generalitat Valenciana and therefore of the Valencian Community. They’ve come a long way since being a school of arts and letters back in 1412.
As I made my way towards Turia, I came across one of the weirdest storefronts I’ve ever seen, and this was almost three weeks after Hallowe’en. I’m not entirely sure what they sell there, though dolls would be a good guess, and doll babies would be a more precise description. Personally, I think it’s there to give people nightmares, all year round. Funny that I’d never noticed it during the day, either; at night, it is positively terrifying. But maybe that’s just me (i.e. not a fan of dolls, in general, ask my Mom).
Eventually I made my way across the park to the other bank of the now non-existent river, drawn by the extra bright lights coming from where I knew the football fields were. My prayers had been answered: there was a football match on! And it wasn’t just some kids playing, either: it was a proper match, with referees, linesmen, and clearly a very partisan audience; in other words: the whole shebang! I could not determine which side was the home side, nor if the people yelling were doing so in support or to offer their assistance in coaching, but it was a lot of fun to watch and the quality of the actual play wasn’t bad at all. I hung around for a while, enjoying, for the first time in many months, live sports while wishing I could do this in one of the big stadia here in València instead. I was pleasantly surprised to find out there are two major La Liga teams in València, the city, as well as two more in the Comunidad: one in Villareal (Castellón province) and one in Elche (which is basically Alicante). As far as whom I would support if I lived here, I have decided to go with Valencia CF over Levante UD. It might have been a random decision though I suspect my not knowing Levante even was a team located here may have had something to do with it as well.
I would have stayed for the second half of the match but all the standing around wasn’t getting me anywhere so I walked on. Crossing the bridge back into Ciutat Vella brought me face to face with Porta de Serrans again, this time lit up against the night sky. It is such a wonderful structure that no matter from which angle you look at it and under which conditions, it always looks great. I tried taking some night pictures but the lights on the bridge itself made that a little tricky, I apologize for lack of quality therein.
The next day I had a little errand to run. On my first walkabout in the Ciutat Vella back in October, I had purchased a lovely little wallet made of cork. They’re actually very popular here and all the souvenir shops carry many styles. To be honest, I bought two, not being able to choose which style I liked more, figuring that I’d give both a try and then send the one I didn’t select to Ori, who was also looking for a new wallet. Pretty quickly it became obvious that I favoured one over the other, but sending the remaining one to Canada wasn’t at that time a priority. By this point I had already decided to try and find another one similar to the one I kept for me and send two as gifts. For about a month I walked into every new gift shop I came across, looking for a duplicate of the wallet I was using, with no success. How I wish I had bought two of that type to start with, because, clearly, that was my only chance. Funny story: this search of mine once resulted in my being “chased” down the street by the owners of one of such establishment where I guess the surveillance camera had picked up a strange woman comparing wallets and then putting one in her purse. What the fellow missed, clearly, was that I had taken out my already used wallet to judge the size of the ones he had, as the other lady running after him explained. I guess she did a better job looking at the video. I chuckled at the whole episode, seeing how I was already mentally prepared for such a possibility, though usually I tried to make a big show of taking out my wallet in full view to avoid this type of situation. Ultimately, I did find a very similar item at the store where I bought the original, figure that.
Since I now had two wallets and a pair of socks to send, I needed to buy a padded envelope (or a pack of 10), package it all up, and take it to the main post office at the Plaça de l’Ajuntament. I had heard that the inside of this building is quite beautiful, and judging by its outside, my expectations were pretty high. I was not disappointed. The Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telegrafos, or Correus, takes up a whole block and is directly opposite the plaza from the City Hall (Ajuntament) building. Inside, the area open to the public feels more like a Grand Central train station than a post office. The client counter is semi-circular, with each teller located between the columns holding up the magnificent stained-glass cupola/skylight. It is a very bright and cheery space, totally unlike most government spaces I’m familiar with. After figuring out how the ticket selection worked, I got mine and settled to wait, though there weren’t many people inside and I didn’t think it would be long before my number was called. When it was, I presented my little envelope package for mailing, hoping postage wouldn’t cost more than the contents. It didn’t and I was assured it would arrive in Victoria in a week’s time. We’ll see about that.
On my way home, I stopped at the Mercat Central to get some bread from my favourite bakery (I have a favourite bakery, you guys!), and that’s when I met this beauty. Well, it was on the outside, as I was leaving, but both another dude and I had to turn around and snap a couple of pictures. How gorgeous is she … or he …? I would have hung around to meet the doggo’s humans but I was tired and hungry and not in the mood to stand around. It is possible I will be bump into this amazing creature if they live in the neighbourhood anyway; I shall be on the look-out!
As soon as I got home, I posted the photos on the Dogspotting page on Facebook (and if you’re not following them, you’re crazy), and, boy, did it ever take off. I’ve tried multiple spots in the past but none had the success of this one, and no wonder. This pup is simply mahrvellous. 3.2K likes! Link to FB.
